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Jacob Wittman
I have made visualizations viewed by hundreds of thousands of people, sped up query times for 25 terabytes of data by an average of 4,800 times, and built packages for R that let you do magic.
Currently searching for a position that allows me to build tools leveraging a combination of visualization, machine learning, and software engineering to help people explore and understand their data in new and useful ways.
Education
PhD. Candidate, Entomology (graduate minor Biostatistics)
University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, MN
Current - 2018
- Working on Bayesian network models & interactive visualization platforms
- University Graduate Fellow
M.S., Entomology
University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, MN
2018 - 2016
B.S., Biology, Environmental Studies (minor Secondary Education)
Luther College
Decorah, IA
2012 - 2008
- Thesis: An agent based model of Diel Vertical Migration patterns of Mysis diluviana
Research Experience
Graduate Research Assistant
TBILab (Yaomin Xu’s Lab)
Vanderbilt University
Current - 2015
- Primarily working with large EHR and Biobank datasets.
- Developing network-based methods to investigate and visualize clinically relevant patterns in data.
Data Science Researcher
Data Science Lab
Johns Hopkins University
2018 - 2017
- Building R Shiny applications in the contexts of wearables and statistics education.
- Work primarily done in R Shiny and Javascript (node and d3js).
Undergraduate Researcher
Rubenstein Ecosystems Science Laboratory
University of Vermont
2015 - 2013
- Analyzed and visualized data for CATOS fish tracking project.
- Head of data mining project to establish temporal trends in population densities of Mysis diluviana (Mysis).
- Ran project to mathematically model the migration patterns of Mysis (honors thesis project.)
Human Computer Interaction Researcher
LabInTheWild (Reineke Lab)
University of Michigan
2015 - 2015
- Led development and implementation of interactive data visualizations to help users compare themselves to other demographics.
Undergraduate Researcher
Bentil Laboratory
University of Vermont
2014 - 2013
- Developed mathematical model to predict the transport of sulfur through the environment with applications in waste cleanup.
Research Assistant
Adair Laboratory
University of Vermont
2013 - 2012
- Independently analyzed and constructed statistical models for large data sets pertaining to carbon decomposition rates.
Industry Experience
I have worked in a variety of roles ranging from journalist to software engineer to data scientist. I like collaborative environments where I can learn from my peers.
Data Journalist - Graphics Department
New York Times
New York, New York
2016 - 2016
- Reporter with the graphics desk covering topics in science, politics, and sport.
- Work primarily done in R, Javascript, and Adobe Illustrator.
Engineering Intern - User Experience
Dealer.com
Burlington, VT
2015 - 2015
- Built internal tool to help analyze and visualize user interaction with back-end products.
Data Science Intern
Dealer.com
Burlington, VT
2015 - 2015
- Worked with the product analytics team to help parse and visualize large stores of data to drive business decisions.
Data Artist In Residence
Conduce
Carpinteria, CA
2015 - 2014
- Envisioned, prototyped and implemented visualization framework in the course of one month.
- Constructed training protocol for bringing third parties up to speed with new protocol.
Software Engineering Intern
Conduce
Carpinteria, CA
2014 - 2014
- Incorporated d3.js to the company’s main software platform.
Teaching Experience
I am passionate about education. I believe that no topic is too complex if the teacher is empathetic and willing to think about new methods of approaching task.
Javascript for Shiny Users
RStudio::conf 2020
N/A
2020
- Served as TA for two day workshop on how to leverage Javascript in Shiny applications
- Lectured on using R2D3 package to build interactive visualizations.
Data Visualization Best Practices
DataCamp
N/A
2019 - 2019
- Designed from bottom up course to teach best practices for scientific visualizations.
- Uses R and ggplot2.
- In top 10% on platform by popularity.
Improving your visualization in Python
DataCamp
N/A
2019 - 2019
- Designed from bottom up course to teach advanced methods for enhancing visualization.
- Uses python, matplotlib, and seaborn.
Advanced Statistical Learning and Inference
Vanderbilt Biostatistics Department
Nashville, TN
2018 - 2017
- TA and lectured
- Topics covered from penalized regression to boosted trees and neural networks
- Highest level course offered in department
Advanced Statistical Computing
Vanderbilt Biostatistics Department
Nashville, TN
2018 - 2018
- TA and lectured
- Covered modern statistical computing algorithms
- 4th year PhD level class
Statistical Computing in R
Vanderbilt Biostatistics Department
Nashville, TN
2017 - 2017
- TA and lectured
- Covered introduction to R language for statistics applications
- Graduate level class
Selected Press (About)
Great paper? Swipe right on the new ‘Tinder for preprints’ app
Science
N/A
2017 - 2017
- Story of the app Papr made with Jeff Leek and Lucy D’Agostino McGowan.
Swipe right for science: Papr app is ‘Tinder for preprints’
Nature News
N/A
2017 - 2017
- Second press article for app Papr.
The Deeper Story in the Data
University of Vermont Quarterly
N/A
2016 - 2016
- Story on my path post graduation and the power of narrative.
Selected Press (By)
Who’s Speaking at the Republican National Convention?
The New York Times
N/A
2016 - 2016
- Used same data scraping techniques as Who’s Speaking at the Democratic National Convention?
A Trail of Terror in Nice, Block by Block
The New York Times
N/A
2016 - 2016
- Led research effort to put together story of 2016 terrorist attack in Nice, France in less than 12 hours.
- Work won Silver medal at Malofiej 2017, and gold at Society of News and Design.
Selected Publications, Posters, and Talks
A guide and toolbox to replicability and open science in entomology.
Journal of Insect Science
N/A
2020
- J. Wittman and B. Aukema
Rail transport as a vector of emerald ash borer
Agricultural and Forest Entomology
N/A
2020
- M. Short, K. Chase, T. Feely, A. Kees, J. Witttman, and B. Aukema
Factors associated with diversity and distribution of buprestid prey captured by foraging Cerceris fumipennis (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)
Environmental Entomology
N/A
2020
- M. Hallinen, J. Wittman, and B. Aukema